


Fighter Girl

by Wallflower (bonniesgoldengirl)



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Boxing, F/M, Female Reader, Fighting, First Meetings, Gold!Reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:46:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26721607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonniesgoldengirl/pseuds/Wallflower
Summary: Bonnie's not the only fighter in his family, and John can't help but take an interest in the other one
Relationships: John Shelby/Reader, John Shelby/You
Kudos: 21





	Fighter Girl

**Author's Note:**

> It's rare that I see a one shot or fic where the reader is related to the Gold's, so I really enjoyed this. Esme is never mentioned in this and neither are any of his kids, so it's up to you to decide what's going on there. I was hoping to have this posted yesterday, but I was just too tired to finish it, so sorry that I haven't been writing as much.
> 
> Can also be found on Tumblr @bonniesgoldengirl 
> 
> Do not repost my work

You have always known that you're stronger than most people. You've knocked out men twice your size with only one punch, before they could even raise their fist. Unlike most fathers, yours has never had a problem with your fighting. He's always encouraged you to train harder and stick up for yourself when someone pushes you too far. So, you do.

You and your younger brother, Bonnie, have spent years fighting in fairs or with people you meet while travelling, all in an attempt to get stronger and better at fighting. You've both done so well that they won't let your family in the fairs any more, and the few people who used to be willing to fight you have learned that it's best to say no to your challenges.

Very few people want to fight a girl anyway, so you're used to being turned down. Bonnie, however, has rarely been refused, which is probably why he's so excited to go to Small Heath. You have to admit, you are as well. You always hear that city people are vicious, so there's bound to be some men that won't turn you down when you challenge them. Who knows, maybe the Shelby's will set up fights for you. After all, that is what your dad is trying to get from them.

After killing two men for the Shelby's and witnessing a stand-off between Thomas Shelby and your dad, you wind up in a stable with your dad and brother. You're feeding your horse when you hear footsteps entering. Tommy sits down beside your dad, and they speak for a few moments, before Bonnie is motioned forward. He begins rapidly punching the air, fighting an invisible enemy to show off his skill. Admittedly, it's not that impressive, more goofy looking than anything, but Tommy agrees to test his skill in a real fight.

"There's one more thing," your father tells the Shelby leader, "my daughter's a fighter, too."

Tommy looks you up and down, sizing you up. You turn to face him fully, staring at him expectantly. You've come too far to back down now.

"I have no women for her to fight," he finally says.

"I can fight men with no problem at all," you reply, not letting him write you off.

"I don't think any of my men would want to fight a woman."

"Have you asked them? You'd be surprised at the amount of men who are willing to hit a woman."

Tommy sighs, rubs his face and rolls his eyes. You can tell he just wants to walk away, that he doesn't even want to humour you. But you're not backing down, and your dad and Bonnie are staring at him expectantly.

Finally, he nods.

"Alright," he concedes, "I'll find someone."

With that, he leads you, dad, and Bonnie into a factory, where his older brother begins gathering the men and setting up an area for the fights. Tommy continues walking through the building, and you and your brother follow him. He eventually finds the man he's looking for.

"There he is, Billy Mills!" Tommy calls out, "former heavyweight champion of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Hello, Billy."

A large man turns to look at him when he hears his name being called, a scowl on his face.

"Yeah," the man replies, "and now I work for you, Mr. Shelby. For not enough money."

Tommy pulls a wad of cash out of his coat pocket and hands it all to the man.

"Right, is that enough for ya?"

"Enough for what?" Billy asks, still scowling.

"Someone here wants to fight ya," Tommy explains, turning back to your brother, "Bonnie Gold. C'mere, son."

Bonnie takes off his hat and walks forward. Billy looks your brother up and down, unimpressed by his small stature.

"I'm an 'eavyweight," he points out, "he's a welterweight at best."

"Nevertheless, he wants to fight ya."

Billy drops the tool he had been working with before Tommy interrupted him.

"Yeah, and when I damage him, the Blinders will take my eyes."

Tommy shakes his head.

"No comeback, Billy," Tommy reassures, "just a fight, Queensbury rules." With that, he turns around and walks the way we came. You follow along behind him, knowing that Bonnie is busy staring down his opponent. You still haven't got yours yet.

"When?" Billy shouts from behind you.

"Now." Tommy calls out, not turning around.

"Where?"

"Here!"

Tommy then leads you to another part of the factory while the men begin to place bets with Arthur. You see your brother and Billy approaching the ring set up with a length of rope tied around posts in the centre of the factory floor.

When Tommy stops, you can still see your brother getting ready for the fight.

"Peter Harris, come here, boy!" Tommy calls over a man not much older than you. He's tall and muscular, though not as big as Billy Mills. He walks over to you and Tommy, glancing at you curiously.

"Yes, Mr. Shelby?" He asks.

"Willing to fight a girl?" For a moment, the lad looks surprised, but then he chuckles, his eyes back on you, sizing you up.

"I don't think that would be fair, sir."

You smirk, stepping forward.

"It probably won't be, but if you're that scared then I'll take it easy on you."

His eyes harden at your taunt, lips pulling into a straight line.

"If she's stupid enough to challenge me, then it's her own fault what happens to her," he's still looking at you, but he's addressing the Shelby brother. You hold his stare easily.

Tommy nods in agreement.

"There'll be no comeback after the fight is over," he swears.

Peter finally tears his eyes away from you, smiling at Tommy.

"Alright, then."

You turn back and walk to your father's side just in time to see the fight begin.

Both of them circle each other, waiting for the other to strike first. Billy takes the first swing, barely hitting your brother, who takes it with no visible reaction. They tap each other back and forth. Bonnie doesn't want to end the fight too soon, whereas Billy has trouble doing much damage to your fast moving sibling.

You feel a presence stand beside you, one that is not shouting and jumping like the rest of the men around the ring. Out of the corner of your eye, you recognise the third Shelby brother, standing next to you with his hands in his pockets and a toothpick in between his pink lips. He has a lazy smirk on his face. You have to admit, he's quite handsome.

"Like what you see, love?" He asks. He turns to face you, smirk growing when he sees that he's caught you off guard.

"It's a good fight." You try your best to play it off cool, but he laughs at your attempt.

"You weren't watching the fight, though, were you?"

Knowing your lie has been spotted, you do your best to seem nonchalant.

"Maybe I was," you say, "or maybe something else caught my eye."

He winks at you and holds out his hand.

"John Shelby." He introduces himself. Your hand clasps his and gives it a firm shake. You purposely put a bit of pressure into your grip to show that you're no dainty lady, but a tough fighter.

"Y/N Gold."

"That's a strong grip you got, Ms. Gold," John remarks when you let go of his hand.

"I know," is all you can say, before your dad's voice cuts into the air, though he it's not you he's speaking to.

"Finish him, Bonnie."

You look to see your brother finally stop circling and dodging his opponent. Three quick punches is all it takes for Bonnie to knock Billy Mills unconscious. There's a moment of disbelief amongst the men, then two of them duck under the rope to pull Billy off the ground and take him away. You and your dad are the only ones smiling smugly. A quick look at the Shelby brothers shows surprise and a hint of amazement. Arthur even gives a surprised cheer to your brother.

Your dad slips under the rope as Bonnie makes his way towards the two of you. He helps your brother remove the boxing gloves he had been given as you give Bonnie a pat on the back.

"Well done," you congratulate. Bonnie shoots you a small smile, still panting from the adrenaline of the fight, skin shining from the sweat covering him.

The men surrounding the makeshift ring begin to disperse, until Tommy raises his hand to get their attention.

"Peter, you're up next."

The lad from before appears from within the crowd and steps into the boxing ring, wearing the boxing gloves that Billy had been wearing only moments ago. The members of the audience look around, wondering who he'll be fighting. Your new friend wonders the same thing.

"Who's he up against?" John asks you.

He gets his answer when you pull the rope over your head to enter the ring, all the while maintaining eye contact with him, a cheeky grin covering your face. His face is a picture of shock as your dad and Bonnie help you put on the gloves and tie them securely. You know by now that he's figured it out, but you answer his question anyway.

"Me."

It looks like his lips are about to twist into a smile, but you turn away and focus on what's in front of you. Before you can get into your stance, your dad puts his hand on your shoulder and leans in closer.

"No need to make the fight last as long as Bonnie's," he informs you, "a woman knocking out a man will impress them enough." You nod to show you understand. Truthfully, you would like to show everyone that you're just as capable as Bonnie, but winning the fight will satisfy you as well.

He and your brother leave the ring, and you focus on your opponent.

Peter has his arms raised already, eyes trained on you with an intense but smug look. The crowd is quieter, not that comfortable watching a man fight a woman. You copy his stance and wait for the referee to ring the bell.

Once he does, you both move forward, watching each others every move. It's Peter who swings first, hitting your gloves lightly. You circle each other, with you mainly taking his jabs and giving a few in return. None of the hits you've given or taken have been particularly strong. Despite what your dad told you, you still want to make this last, at least enough to liven up the crowd.

And when the yelling and shouting reaches the same level it was at during Bonnie's fight, you finally decide to end it. You can see Peter getting frustrated that he's not getting anywhere with you, so when he moves his right hand to punch you, you use yours to uppercut him. You hit him square in the chin. He stumbles back a step, disorientated. His hands lower a fraction, no longer protecting his face. That's when you throw a left hook that slams into his cheek. He stumbles again, nearly falling. Finally, you punch him right in the face, which is what knocks him to the floor.

Peter doesn't move, so the referee checks on him. He shakes him lightly, but receives no reaction from the young man on the ground. After a few seconds of trying, the ref looks at you and nods his head, declaring you the winner of the match.

To your surprise, very few of the men surrounding you are upset. In fact, most of them yell their praises at you. None so loud as your dad and brother though, who both climb back into the ring. You're pulled into a hug by Bonnie first, and he squeezes you tightly, almost crushing you.

"That was brilliant," he tells you, grin covering his face when he pulls away from you. You're then pulled into your dad's arms, whose hold is much lighter, but just as welcomed as Bonnie's.

Before he pulls back, he plants a kiss on your temple, then begins untying the strings on one of your gloves, your brother helping to remove the other.

You don't even notice that the crowd has now dispersed and the rope has been removed until the Shelby brothers approach you and your family. Arthur is beaming at you, eyes bright with adrenaline, almost as if he is the one who just won a fight. Tommy doesn't smile, but he does look at you differently than before. It's a calculating look, a look of interest, like he's figuring out how much money he can make off you. It pisses you off a bit, but you know that the only way he'll let you fight is if he can earn some profit in the process.

But it's John's reaction that you find yourself happiest about. His smile isn't as wide as Arthur's, instead it has a flirty edge to it. His eyes are lit with amazement, and it's all directed at you. Something about that makes you feel giddy. It causes a high that you're sure has nothing to do with winning the fight. His attention on you brings a feeling that you're unfamiliar with, but it's one that you would happily become acquainted with.

Your dad's hand squeezing your shoulder lightly is what drags you away from John Shelby's magnetic presence. A glance at him tells you that he has noticed the looks between you and the Peaky Blinder, because he glares at John with the protective look in his eyes that he always gives men who show an interest in you.

Your attention shifts to Tommy when you see him reaching inside his pocket. He pulls out a charcoal peaked cap and holds it out to you, and as you take it, he proclaims:

"You're a Peaky Blinder now, Y/N Gold."


End file.
